Abstract

The emphasis on soft skills according to the field of study is important in order to helping students understand and apply soft skills in the workplace. Mismatch between soft skills possessed by graduates and the skills required by the industry being one of the causes for graduates being incompetent and not qualified. Thus, these issues increase the level of unemployment especially among polytechnic graduates. This study was conducted to identify the element of soft skills that possessed by students, applied by lecturers and required by construction industries. By using descriptive study in purpose survey, the samples for this study involving 335 number of architecture students and 80 number of architecture lecturers from Politeknik Primier Ungku Omar (PUO), Politeknik Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah (POLIMAS), Politeknik Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah (POLISAS), Politeknik Port Dickson (PPD), Politeknik Merlimau (PMM) and Politeknik Sultan Idris Shah (PSIS). A sample of 30 respondents involving director, executive and supervisor were randomly selected from construction companies in Malaysia. This study conducted by questionnaire, interview and field survey using analysis of mean and variance, Spearman correlation test and ANOVA test. Researcher expecting that problem solving skill and teamwork skill are the dominant soft skills element that possessed by students, applied by lecturers and required by industry. There is statistically significantly difference between the dominant element of soft skills that possessed by students, applied by lecturers and required by industry. Based on the research analysis, a framework module will be develops as a guideline to integrate soft skills into architectural program in polytechnics.